Cities that welcome outsiders easily, or have as many nonlocal as local (Lexington: fit in)

[sillygal]

Where I am living now is mostly local people, I love them to death but just can't seem to fit in anywhere. Not a whole lot of people that moved in this immediate area from other places.

I would love to find a city where there are lots of people that have moved in from other areas, to get the various cultures. I also love the locals! Just think it is easier to meet people if there are others in the same boat as I.

Any cities in KY come to mind? And if so how easy is it to meet people! I guess I would also really like to know about the 50's single crowd.

[desiree253]

I can't believe no one replied to this one... Well, I've lived in Lexington, Richmond, Danville, Berea and Morehead, and I think the first four are definitely very easy to meet new people, and are also very accepting of outsiders. Now I love Morehead, but not sure how "welcoming" it may be, as it is very small (6,000), but I'm a California transplant and have been accepted by every town listed above, without a problem. I guess if you're nice, polite and friendly, you'll be accepted just about anywhere in KY.

Good luck to you, and I hope you find the perfect KY city/town for your move!

[Davart]

Paducah has a lot of outsiders and it's a smaller town, but it has most of the big city amenities. Might want to look at it, many Kentucky town tend to be a bit clickish its just the way it is, I pay no attention to it. Just because I decided to move around and not live next door to mama and the rest of the family up and down the holler I see no reason to for them to be unaccepting, but some are.

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by sillygal

Where I am living now is mostly local people, I love them to death but just can't seem to fit in anywhere. Not a whole lot of people that moved in this immediate area from other places.

I would love to find a city where there are lots of people that have moved in from other areas, to get the various cultures. I also love the locals! Just think it is easier to meet people if there are others in the same boat as I.

Any cities in KY come to mind? And if so how easy is it to meet people! I guess I would also really like to know about the 50's single crowd.

Louisville is KY's largest city by far and as such I find it easier to meet people in larger cities, in general. I think all of KY is welcoming to outsiders, though.

[Kichenwich]

[quote=desiree253;955579]I can't believe no one replied to this one... Well, I've lived in Lexington, Richmond, Danville, Berea and Morehead, and I think the first four are definitely very easy to meet new people, and are also very accepting of outsiders.

I totally agree, especially with Richmond, which happens to be experiencing a huge growth lately. With the new "by pass", Richmond has really spread out and is offering so many more business/home options. Here's a few links that might help:

City of Richmond - Official Website
The Richmond Register - Homepage
http://www.city-data.com/city/Richmond-Kentucky.html
Richmond Kentucky (broken link)

With this being the home to Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond has an amazing amount of diversity in cultures, etc. I've never known people to be stand-offish to people not from the area. In fact, within a very short time, you WILL be a "local"!

hope this helps ~joanna~

[tomocox]

So you want to "fit in". In Kentucky, fitting in is so easy. Even in the most clanish of Kentucky communities (there are many), fitting in requires patience, conformity to local customs and standards, and a genuine interest in the people and the community. As a younger man, I learned a valuable lesson about people while trying to give the livestock a snack. If I grabbed an ear of corn and ran into the herd, the cattle would run from me, but if I took that same ear of corn and slowly strolled into the herd then just stood still, it wasn't long before a brave cow would become so curious she had to come check me out. Of course, I would then reward her for her bravery. Like cattle, if you come to Kentucky and offer a gift but don't force it upon people, they will eventually check you out and friendships will bloom. We are generally a great and loving people, just cautious.

[desiree253]

The first night I moved to Morehead, I got a knock on my back door and there stood two neighbors (both in different apartments), and they held a steaming round of cornbread in their hands and offered it to me as a "welcome to the neighborhood" gift. They apologized they didn't have something else to offer. I accepted it, and thanked them.
After closing the door, I bawled like a baby with the sheer happiness of finally getting back to Kentucky, where people still care about people, whether they've ever met you or not. THIS is the type of thing you can look forward to in KY... especially if you move to a small town! No-where like it in the world! I love it here..

[millrock]

I am glad to hear it is easy to meet people in Danville. My husband and I may be moving there. This will be our first move without children and I am concerned about meeting others. Do you know if there is a Newcomers Club?

[citybilly]

Although I haven't been to Ky in a coon's age, I want to remind the original poster, that Universities and military bases have a lot of non- locals. Might check around Ft. Knox-Louisville to Elizabethtown , or Lexington area, I would trhink. comments, anyone?